Disaster hero: Free, online game teaches kids how to prepare for and respond… (Courtesy of Legacy Games )
Chances are, children in hurricane-prone Hampton Roads can ace this multiple-choice question about emergency preparedness:
Q: What should you and your family do before any disaster?
Bury your things in your yard to keep them safe.
Dig a hole big enough for your family to hide.
Plan a family vacation.
Talk about disasters so you know what to do.
For kids who don't know the right answer (D), or who want to learn more, there's a free, online game called "Disaster Hero" developed by The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and L.A.-based Legacy Games to better educate them — and help them educate their families.
"We figured that if kids are asking their parents, 'What's our plan?' or 'Do we have a home kit?' that that would get parents thinking about it," ACEP's director for disaster preparedness Rick Murray said in a news report. "We weren't approaching it through the parents, but approaching it through the kids."
The game was funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and designed in the format of a game show competition between the player and one of four characters representing earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and floods.
According to FEMA, the interactive nature of the game gives children a chance to "improve the confidence and coping skills needed before, during and immediately following all types of disaster events."
Using mazes, arcade-type visuals and three different skill levels, children can learn about building emergency kits, the dos and don'ts during and after a natural disaster, escape routes and even the basics of first aid.
Such educational tools are sorely needed, experts say.
"Americans today are no better prepared for a natural disaster or terrorist attack than they were in 2003," ACEP officials said. "Most people expect to rely on emergency responders immediately after a disaster. To address this situation, the Disaster Hero game will teach children and their families how to be self-reliant for a period of time after a disaster."
For more information or to play the game, go to http://www.disasterhero.com.
The hurricane season in Hampton Roads runs from June through November. The region also experiences tornados and flooding and, on rare occasions, earthquakes.
Scientists project the strength of hurricanes along the Atlantic will intensify under the effects of climate change, and storm surges and flooding will increase along coastal areas as sea levels rise.